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Looks interesting, but a few of those go against what I've experienced. Is it possible you left out the ability to get a new govt as a reason to research? Democracy & Fascism are the 2 worst, and Communism is bottom 15, but in most games I've played, the AI will go for all 3 of those almost as soon as it has a chance.

Well, actually, apart from Literature and Ironclads, the AI has a tendency to research Non-needed techs. THeye also research all governments, especially facism and communism, its like tey do a beeline.

Yes, I think that you overestimate the AI's tendency to avoid non-required techs. In my experience, while Printing Press, Ironclads and Literature are certainly easy to get monopolies on, The Republic, Democracy, Economics and Espionage are not.

Have to agree. The lists sounds highly accurate, with the huge exception of Communism and Fascism. In my experience, the AI will always go Nationalism-> Comm - > Fascism before they research Steam Power.
And IMHO Nat is the top choice number one - way before Rocketry and BW. You will also see that in mods - it's the Drafting, MPPs and Mobilization that makes a tech so appealing for the AI. Much more than the Alu from Rocketry. And both give a resource-free defender/attacker.

There also seems some dependance on the level: The research choice for the leading AI is one thing; but once one of them has Nat/Fasc/Comm, the costs drop, and all others will follow instead of getting Steam. The level matters here because if the human has the tech lead, other techs will be researched first (especially Steam), making them cheaper for the AI.

Edit: Actually, after looking at Alexman's tab again, I really wonder how you came to rating Rocketry above Nat:

I agree that the AIs will always beeline Commie & Fascism. They're almost obsessive about it. In COTM14, everyone researched these - which of course they're reluctant to trade around once they have them - slowed the AI help I'd had in the middle ages from a veritable fountain, to a crawl (all I got from them was Industrialization, as opposed to 4 or 5 techs in the middle ages).

I'm wondering if a better human strategy would be to research all three (Nationalism, plus the two govts), and gift them to the AI, in order to set them on the right path?!

I'd certainly gift them as soon as I can trade for them, if I think a particular AI is going to be helpful (again, COTM14 - by the time I'd finished Flight+Mech Transport, not one single AI out of those remaining, all of them by then Industrial, had researched Medicine )

Have to agree. The lists sounds highly accurate, with the huge exception of Communism and Fascism. In my experience, the AI will always go Nationalism-> Comm - > Fascism before they research Steam Power.
And IMHO Nat is the top choice number one - way before Rocketry and BW. You will also see that in mods - it's the Drafting, MPPs and Mobilization that makes a tech so appealing for the AI. Much more than the Alu from Rocketry. And both give a resource-free defender/attacker.

There also seems some dependance on the level: The research choice for the leading AI is one thing; but once one of them has Nat/Fasc/Comm, the costs drop, and all others will follow instead of getting Steam. The level matters here because if the human has the tech lead, other techs will be researched first (especially Steam), making them cheaper for the AI.

Edit: Actually, after looking at Alexman's tab again, I really wonder how you came to rating Rocketry above Nat:

Of course, the tech costs need to be figured into the calculation. But that depends on the number of Civs who already know that tech - and it for sure doesn't equalize a 174:23 ratio...

Click to expand...

Remember, the bonus from government itself depends on the cost, (so you would divide the 259 by ~4-20 depending on the size of the AI) Meaning that it does equalize a 174:23 ratio..if it takes the AI about 8 turns to get Com or Fasc.

Did you alter the research rate (or whatever the best name for it would be) as you went through the technologies, or did you leave it at one value (for example, the default 10) for all technologies? That could cause the discrepencies in your list and game experience. In particular, communism and fascism would be much more desirable (due to the government bonus based on tech cost).

Here's an alternate list, based roughly on 10-turn research. The research multipliers (which when multiplied by the base cost equal the research time) were 3 for the first-tier ancient age techs; 2 for the second-tier techs; 1 for the third-tier techs; .3 for the middle age techs up to education, music theory, printing press, and gunpowder; .1 for the rest of the middle age techs; .05 for the industrial techs up to refining, steel, electricity, and scientific method; .04 for the rest of the industrial techs; and .03 for the modern age techs. Some of those values are probably off, but changing them didn't significantly change the research order, so I left them where they are. In particular the third-tier ancient age value is probably too high.

The previous list was made using the research multiplier when the tech could be researched; the following lists use the lower multiplier of the next level for older techs (such as optional techs in the next age). These lists show the order the AI would research the techs in.

Some civs may, due to their UU, have a different priority. Those with significant differences are Rome, Japan, India, Spain, and Maya. Significantly missing is in that list is Babylon, whose bowman is not defensive in C3C.

There are some indications of problems with this list, such as literature before monarchy, military tradition being last in the middle ages, medicine (and several other techs) before fascism, and computers and fission being so low in the modern age.

P.S. DocT, the values for conscription and mobilization are divided by the number of turns.

P.S. DocT, the values for conscription and mobilization are divided by the number of turns.

Click to expand...

Sure. But so are the values for anything (unless I completely missunderstand the whole topic).
And I was using that mainly to adress the Steam Engine - Communis issue, with the same tech cost modifier. Rocketry for sure is the most desirable tech for the AI in te Modern Era, and in my experience trading for the conscription tech is always the most expensive trade - that's why I figured Nat would come for Rocketry in an overall ranking.
However, the real big issue why experience doesn't match the proposed list: Research time.
In the levels I usually play (Emperor and above), the leading AI(s) will be able to reseach Nationalism and the next Gov techs in 4 turns - and after they're done with it, the costs for the midsize AIs has dropped enough to allow them a 4-6 turn research as well.
So, they may occasionally go for Steam earlier - but they NEVER will prefer Medicine (as you already mention).
And, the equitation doesn't explain why they'd ever research Ironclads - any other choice at that time (before only AT is left as next mandatory tech) would be more desirable (the 4 IA techs rated even lower could be the best choice at one point; 2 are mandatory, and the other 2 considerably cheaper than Rocketry, so the research time modifier comes into play).

And, in the Middle Ages list Navigation simply doesn't work. The AI will almost always go there first before Physics and often before Metallurgy.
Also, Polytheism is, from experience, a beloved AI tech - much more than CoL, for example.

Something else: Certain Civs prefer to research different techs. That is absolutely reasonable if it relates to their UU (Rome). But I cannot see anything explaining why America and Ottomans head to Polytheism for about 99% of the time. Before Alpha.
It could be that traits affect research choices; other IND Civs have different priorities here (Persia - IW, Maya - WC/BW, France/China/ Carthage - BW, Egypt - Wheel/BW). Of course, America wants BW as well - but will either get it from a hut soon, or due to the easier contacts, trade for it.

Ironclads and Economics - be certain at least one AI civ will research one of these in a game. Seems to be random which one.

Modern era - they all drive towards Space Flight and will pretty much ignore the rest of the tree - but if they get the chance to be on it (Computers free tech for sci civs) they will beeline for Genetics.

This list is from my personal experience only - not great, but it does seem to contradict the statistical choices for whatever reason. Perhaps there is a scripted sub-routine for the AI to follow for techs that activates sometimes....

A man's private thought can never be a lie; what he thinks, is to him the truth, always. - Mark Twain, Letter to Louis Pendleton, 8/4/1888

Very nice! The list is quite useful and the discussion as well. I've noted differences myself between AI behavior and Dave's list, but I'd agree with about 80% - 85% of it. Very funny that Nationalism is an optional Tech but practically the #1 AI research priority!!

from my experiences, the AA techs researched vary for nearly every civ. I've found that the Byzantines go for Philo most of the time, because it has a wonder which starts their golden age, Greece seem to go straight for Constuction and Currency, and the Japanese seem to go for Mystism very early.

If I may, I think the lists would be more relevant in a more number-wise elaborate fashion: adding both the numbers for priority value and cost; setting a few more scales for comparison (early, mid, late-AA, etc.). That way it would be easier to see why the AI researches AA government techs before literature so often, or how it would deal with researching maths when MM is available for research and when it is not.

Edit: it's already being done, I just read the other thread about calcs It does make for odd stuff vs game reality though, esp. govts, but nevertheless 80%+ accurate at least.